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100-level Classes Description

Another common access point to first-year students is large-enrollment 100-level classes, such as English Composition, or Intro to Communication / Psych / Business, or other university-wide service courses. In these classes, the librarian might work with faculty coordinating multiple sections of a common syllabus to incorporate IL instruction tied directly to a research assignment.

Approaches at Different Institutions

Ohio University

Ohio University: 4+/pub/lge // Contact: Sherri Saines

English 151: The 4 Rules of Research

(70 classes of 20 = 1400 per term)

We have had access to 2 or 3 hours of instruction with nearly all sections of the required composition course for about 5 years. This has been an intense collaboration, with many ups and downs, and a steep learning curve for everyone! The library instruction sessions are organized around 4 research concepts:

Reference Librarians Like to Answer Questions: You're not bothering us. Many ways to find us.

Research is a Word Game: Booleans, Word Banks, Persistance

It's not all on Google: You must also use catalogs and databases to do good research

Evaluate Everything: Don't trust anybody.

We take these concepts and apply them to the catalog, a general article database, and a subject article database. The third hour, if we get it, is a workshop with the librarian going around answering individual questions.

12 librarians teach this class, so we have a common script. Script Outline

What makes this really work is the level of collaboration with individual instructors. The do not have a common syllabus, but have been encouraged by the head of Rhet Comp to include research. We make a date for their class before they ask, then meet individually with the instructors assigned to us several weeks ahead. We are not shy about suggesting approaches and insisting that they come to class with a topic already chosen. Then we tailor the demo portions to their assignment.

Bowling Green State University

BGSU: 4+/pub/lge // Contact: Colleen Boff

English Comp Online Tutorial

First year students at BGSU are also typically enrolled in a required english composition course. This is where they are systematically introduced to how to access the University Libraries' research databases through an online tutorial.